If You Asked Me
by Lovisa Cansino
Summary: "I wouldn't want to cause him any unhappiness"


****WARNING: **Spoilers for series 2.**

**Disclaimer: **A long time ago, I played poker with a man. His name was Julian Fellowes. I was feeling lucky – I had been winning up until then. But then he made the ultimate proposition: if I won that next round, I would have the rights to all those cheesy characters he had created for some TV show that promised to be a big hit and was going to be produced by some british network. If I lost, I would also lose the car I had won earlier that evening. And here I am, writing fanfiction, and taking the bus everywhere. I think you can imagine how that last game went. I haven't played poker ever since.

**A.N.: **Highly unlikely situation alert. I'm not entirely happy with it, but I was getting tired of rewriting it. It takes place right after Lady Mary asks Mr. Carson to go with her to Haxby. Also, it's probably OOC.

**X**

The lull of the many conversations going on around the table was the happiest it had been in years, Charles Carson observed from his seat. The war was finally over, after all, and everything seemed to be going back to normal. Except he did not think they would; there would be far too many wounds in need of healing, in one way or the other, and, as Mr. Branson often said, the world had changed. And, as much as he disliked changes, he had felt quite honoured that Lady Mary wanted him in her house. He would miss Downton, surely, he thought grimly as he looked around the table once more. Not one for sentimentalism, even so he could not help but think they all ended up as some sort of family. He looked over at Anna, who was engrossed in a conversation with Mr. Bates. He had always liked that girl, ever since she started working at Downton; she knew how to keep to herself and did not mind the work. Directing his gaze at Daisy, he caught a glimpse of the black band on her arm. Shaking his head, as if it would prevent him from thinking of William and of all the lives lost on the war, he let his eyes rest on the other side of the table, where Ms. O'Brien and Thomas sat together, whispering. Well, Mr. Carson thought to himself, he wouldn't mind being away from _that._ Next to them sat the new housemaid, Jane, and he wondered if she would be fully trained by the time he left. Remembering the incident in the library with Lord Grantham, he decided he should not worry; Mrs. Hughes would be able to handle a situation should any handling be needed. Looking to the housekeeper on his right, he thought how odd would it be to run a house without her by his side. That would be, most likely, the biggest change of all. Over the many years they had worked together, Mrs. Hughes and himself had established such a relationship that he couldn't imagine working with anyone but her; they understood each other well enough by now so that even a crisis would turn out smoothly. He would miss her. He would miss all of them.

He was broken out of his reverie – silly sentimentalism – by the sound of chairs scraping across the floor as the staff rose from the table in unison. Turning to the door, knowing the motion could only be caused by someone from upstairs, he also stood up when he saw Lady Mary looking quite out of her element.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she started, albeit hesitantly "I did not mean to disturb any of you"

"That's quite alright, milady." He said, assuming she had come down to seek his assistance, as she had many times before "May I help you?"

She smiled. "Actually, Carson, I was wondering if I could speak to Mrs. Hughes for a moment"

If he was surprised, he did not let it appear on his face. However, the slight pause heard before Mrs. Hughes answered Lady Mary had shown everyone how unusual of a request it had been.

"Certainly, milady" she said, and got up from her seat, not before giving Mr. Carson a look he could only describe as uncertain. It was no secret – as least, he did not think it was – that Lady Mary wasn't exactly Mrs. Hughes' favourite person in the house, and the prospect of 'having a talk' with the girl apparently unsettled the housekeeper.

Watching as she made her way towards Lady Mary, he wondered what the girl could possibly wish to talk about with Mrs. Hughes. Maybe she wanted to add a housekeeper to the staff of her house. He didn't dare hope Mrs. Hughes would be joining him.

"I have something of a private matter to discuss with you, Mrs. Hughes, if that's alright" he heard Lady Mary whisper to Mrs. Hughes as she got closer.

"Will my sitting room do?" the housekeeper answered.

"Perfectly"

Mr. Carson watched them until they were no longer in his line of vision, and only then did he, albeit preoccupied, go back to his dinner.

**X**

As soon as they entered her sitting room, Mrs. Hughes could sense an _atmosphere_. Not that it mattered much in this case, as she always sensed an atmosphere when Lady Mary was around. Tensely, she indicated the settee to the younger woman, who sat down. The housekeeper made herself comfortable in her armchair and waited.

She waited for what seemed like hours, Lady Mary having apparently forgotten she had something to say. Mrs. Hughes, tired of waiting and wanting to get back to her unfinished (and now certainly cold) meal as soon as possible, raised her eyebrows and coughed, rather indiscreetly. It was enough to startle Lady Mary out of her haze.

"I trust you have heard about Carson leaving with me when I marry Sir Richard"

"I have, yes, m'lady"

"What do you think of it?"

The housekeeper's eyebrows shot up straight to her hairline. Whatever she had been expecting, it most certainly had not been anything near that.

"Well, milady, it will be quite an adjustment, and it will take some getting used to. But I trust Mr. Carson won't leave until he's found a proper replacement, so I daresay Downton will cope fairly well with the change"

Lady Mary smiled sadly "Mrs. Hughes, you and I both know Mr. Carson cannot be replaced"

_Very true_, she thought to herself, but she would never admit that to her employer's eldest child, the same person who was taking her butler away.

"You have no objections to him leaving, then" Lady Mary said, breaking the somewhat awkward silence.

"Not that it would matter, m'lady" she said, boldly, and couldn't help the twinge of bitterness in her voice "but I do not. I think Mr. Carson will be very happy working for you and Sir Richard. He is very fond of you"

"As am I of him" the girl smiled truly "Do you think he will be, though?"

"Beg your pardon, m'lady?"

"Happy. Do you think he will be happy there, away from Downton?"

_What was the girl on about?_

"That is not for me to say, milady, but I do believe he will"

Lady Mary sighed with a tiredness that was unbecoming on someone so young.

Thoughts of the remainders of her chicken potpie waiting for her at the servant's table caused the housekeeper's impatience to grow.

"Is that what you wished to speak to me about, milady?"

"No, not really." Well, then at least she wasn't taken from her dinner to be asked if Mr. Carson was going to be _happy_ "I am sorry, Mrs. Hughes, I do have a tendency of beating around the bush, as they say"

"That's quite alright, milady" She couldn't say what she really meant, now could she?

"You see, Mrs. Hughes, as much as I want to have Mr. Carson with me in Haxby, I wouldn't want to cause him any unhappiness"

_Surely the girl knows I'm not exactly the person she should be saying this to, s_he thought, but opted to keep her silence.

"How long have you been working here, Mrs. Hughes?" Lady Mary asked.

"Sixteen years, milady" she could not help the fond smile from creeping over her features.

"A very long time"

"Yes" she answered simply.

Lady Mary took a deep breath before asking what had obviously been her reason for interrupting the servant's dinner.

"And how long have you been in love with Mr. Carson, Mrs. Hughes?"

**X**

**A.N.: **To be fair, I did warn you it was an unlikely situation...


End file.
